Robert S. Woods, president of the Boston Temple, former member of the 2nd Quorum of the Seventy and professor at the University of Virginia and Naval War College, lectured on the relationship between politics and religion on Friday.

President Woods first began his lecture by clearing up any misconceptions about the link between politics and religion.

“In my experience, over the years when people thought about the relation between politics and religion, they thought it was irrelevant,” Woods said. “Religion is not irrelevant to the political process of this country, and will continue to have more of an impact throughout the years.”

There is an undeniable connection between church and state, he said. However, there are several countries and civilizations that will continue to deny this link.

“The basic unit of analysis should be and has not been the state, nor the local political community, but civilization itself,” said Woods. “It shapes the state and local political communities.”

Woods said that we, as Latter-day Saints, have a responsibility to stand up for what we believe without pushing our values into the political sphere.

Caitlin Spratling, a senior majoring in linguistics, from Kalispell, Mont., said she learned a lot from the lecture.

“I thought it was very interesting. I didn’t realize how closely related politics and religion are,” Spratling said. “I learned that governments across the world have been based on religion and solely religion since the beginning of time.”

Woods said France is highly secular. They believe that any religious conviction or symbols should not be stated nor shown in the public forum. They believe any religious thoughts or attachments should be suppressed.

“There are many people in America that would like to adopt the French model of secularism, but I believe it is a form of atheism,” Woods said. “This would mean that our society itself would be completely emptied of any religious convictions or affiliations.”

Spencer Driscoll, a senior majoring in political science, from Billings, Mont., was also pleased with the lecture.

“I think it is interesting to get a perspective on religious controversies from a Latter-day-Saint perspective, and especially from someone who has been politically and personally involved in these issues throughout the world,” Driscoll said.

The College of Family, Home and Social Sciences and the Tocqueville project hosted Woods in his lecture, “Reflections on Politics and Religions.”